MagneTag on Kickstarter
You may remember MagneTag from last year’s Maker Faire. Well, they’re coming back this year bigger and better than ever! They’ve even launched a Kickstarter campaign for those of you who want to play MagneTag at home.
For those of you not familiar with MagneTag, here’s a good explanation: “MagneTag is an advanced system of wearable magnetic field sensors. They are designed to electronically detect the foamy blows of justice you rain down on your (fr)enemies using our arsenal of magnetically enhanced foam swords and ninja stars.”
The MagneTag guys worked with Foamation here in Milwaukee (best known for their famous “Cheeseheads”) to create foam weapons with magnets embedded in them. They also worked relentlessly at Milwaukee Makerspace on all the other aspects of the game, from electronics to the wearable pieces.
MagneTag is the result of four years of work from Adam and the gang. We’re pleased to see it come so far, and can’t wait to battle you with foamy goodness at Maker Faire Milwaukee!
CNC Router in Pop Mech
We’ve already met Chad Bridegwater, and told you about the CNC Router he built using a 1946 drill press he rescued from the scrap heap.
Well, we’re not the only ones to be inspired by Chad’s work, as the September issue of Popular Mechanics features his CNC Router as well.
Make sure you check out Chad’s other machines at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year.
Makey the Robot!
Look who’s been hanging around Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, it’s Makey the Robot!
You’ll be able to see Makey (and his twin brother, who may need a little help from you) at Maker Faire Milwaukee on September 26th & 27th, 2015 at State Fair Park. See you there! (Makey can’t wait to meet you!)
What will you see – Giant Clock
Tom Gralewicz from Milwaukee Makerspace has been leading the charge to build a GIANT CLOCK for Maker Faire Milwaukee. Shane helped with the animation to explain what it will look like, and other members have pitched in with the building of the various pieces.
Below are a few in-progress shots of the progress so far…
Electronic components, including an Arduino, and a motor controller. (Tom is pretty excited about the controller and has a plan to use the for other projects in the future.)
Motors and a few other parts were donated from our friends at American Science & Surplus.
Tom created a custom circuit board using a laser cutter to prepare the board for etching. It uses a number of optical sensors to tell where clock pieces are.
Here’s the inside view of one of the clock movements…
…with the cover in place.
And here’s one of the large segments. There will be eight of these in total.
And here’s Tom (at 6’3″) standing next to the skeleton of one segment stack of the clock.
Check out the videos of the platform moving and the sensor board sensing!
Want more? Check out the next installment: It’s almost time…
Steve Hay’s Ornithopter
Steve Hay will return to Make Faire Milwaukee this year with his Ornithopter. If you missed it last year, here’s a description from Steve:
The Ornithopter has a 1927 gasoline-powered stover hit and miss engine which propels it forward and flaps the wings up and down. It’s constructed of tree branches, clothing and a steel supporting structure for the wings.
Steve has shown the Ornithopter at the Experimental Aircraft Association convention in the past, and we’re pleased to have his contraption at Maker Faire.
If you’re still not totally sure what an Ornithopter is, there’s plenty more to learn over at Wikipedia.
Chicago Brings the Noise!
You don’t have to be from Milwaukee to take part in Maker Faire Milwaukee. We’re excited to welcome back our friends from Pumping Station: One in Chicago who will be offering to help you build your own “PS: One Noisemaker”, which is an optical theremin. What’s a theremin you might ask? It’s a musical instrument controlled without physical contact. Typically you wave your hands in the air to create sounds. The “optical” theremin uses a light sensor to detect how much light is hitting it and creates a buzzing sound proportionally related to that. If you don’t understand electronics much, that’s ok, Jenny from PS:1 will explain it all and help your build your very own noisemaking theremin. (Already understand all the technical stuff? There’s a github page for the noisemaker.)
Return of the Power Racing Series
We’re hosting another Power Racing Series exhibition event at Maker Faire Milwaukee this year! What is Power Racing, you ask? Simply, teams build and race an electric car, with a $500 spending limit. You can start with any kids’ electric ride-on vehicle. Then, read up on creating your own vehicle, grab friends to form a team, find some tools and a helmet, and get to work. The races are a blast, and how you decorate your car counts for some serious points, too. Glitter, feathers, lights, anything goes. Visit powerracingseries.org for more information and guidelines.
Control a Spaceship with Artemis
“Artemis Spaceship Bridge Simulator is ridiculously good fun.” — Wired Magazine
‘Nuf said. There will be an Artemis Bridge at Maker Faire Milwaukee. Artemis, a multiplayer, multicomputer networked game, invites gamers to assume roles as spaceship officers in charge of the helm, communications, engineering, and weapons (of course), and their Captain, who tells everyone what to do, like “Set phasers to stun.”
Stay tuned for details.
Swap-O-Rama-Rama
New this year, Swap-O-Rama-Rama — that’s right, two Ramas in the name! This clothing swap and DIY workshop series explores creative reuse through recycling used clothing. Bring at least one bag of clean, used clothing to add to the collection and then dive in to find items to work with at all kinds of stations – sewing machines, hand sewing, bedazzling, beading, bleach pen and sharpie decorating, silk screening, knitting, repair, appliqués and more. We’ll have skilled volunteers on hand to help get you started and talk about how to take measurements, working with patterns and other upcycling tricks and tips. This is gonna be fun.
The “Dark Arts” at Maker Faire
With the Call for Makers now open (through August 1, 2015), we are kicking planning for Maker Faire Milwaukee into high gear. This year, we will be creating a “Dark Arts” exhibit area for makers with LED, electronics, and other projects that are best experienced in low light. Makers, if you have a project or one in mind that needs darkness to shine, bring it to Maker Faire! This space will also feature a laser maze, and provide makers and visitors with spaces to gather for casual discussions, back of the napkin idea sharing and refreshments.
